Waste Management – How to Handle the Idea of Waste

My eleven-year-old roars every time someone tells him he is “worthless”, “does not know how to do things” or is a “waste.” Of course, these words are used by other children against him – other children who themselves have learnt the usage from their elders or other kids. Sometimes, as is inevitable, even the gentlest of elders too lose their patience over the simplest of incidents. And the children, like the sponge that they are, latch on like leech to descriptions that will soon be transferred to others in the most daring ways. That is how bullying begins. And it always begins at home.

So, what bullying leads to, is the idea of waste

In my earlier posts, I have described instances from my early childhood where I was bullied, which led to a severe loss of self-esteem within me that I am still trying to overcome. If the presence of self-esteem is what helps us face challenges, and progress in life; then its absence leaves the opposite effect – a sense of worthlessness, and the idea of being a waste.

What is waste really?

We have been taught that waste is an idea of something that is useless. As our brain accumulates its understanding of waste in this meaning of worthlessness, it also tries to understand what to do with waste. The other learning propagated by our actions and opinions makes its entry at this point. It is the idea of trashing waste.

So, the brain connects the idea of waste to the idea of trash and that is how waste becomes something that needs to be thrown away.

Turns out it is the wrong connection

Obviously, the brain propagates this connection every time we are faced with the thought of waste. Throw away food you don’t want to eat, throw away the stuff that you don’t use anymore, send away the parents who are too old to be useful, and as in the case of yours truly, while thinking of all the things that you can do, don’t do anything because you are not useful enough to do anything.

Well, it is as simple as that. I went with the idea that my brain suggested to me. I did not think of going against my brain and fighting the idea of trashing waste. But when I look at the number of people around me who have defeated this idea (including my son), I am impressed by their ability to overcome an idea.

Yes, at the end of the day, waste is only an idea of uselessness. But since every idea begins in the head, it can die within it too.

And Nature shows the way!

Have you noticed the occurrence of waste in nature? It is there everywhere – the dead leaves, animal poop, drought fuelled lands, rainless clouds, photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis?!

Yes, even as plants are cooking glucose for their food, they also cooking something else. And that is oxygen. But this oxygen is not used by these plants. Automatically, this means that the oxygen released by plants is also plant waste.

But what is waste for the plants is great for the animals, including humans. And vice-versa. What nature has done by designing a life system that is so dependent on each other for survival, is that she has also designed the idea of waste management.

So, it comes to this…

Waste has always been something that needs to be managed, and never to be trashed. It is the loss of this idea that has led us to the loss of our world.

Our ancients, through their understanding of nature, also understood the idea of sustainability. But as we have progressed through the times, we have also regressed in our ways.

The more I connect with you, the less I connect with myself. The more you live for my idea of you, the less you begin to live for your idea of yourself. The boon of connecting with the world outside comes at the loss of disconnecting with the world that exists within. That is how, all that gets left behind is a sense of uselessness, automatically making every other thing that exists within us – our mental and physical health – useless.

How do we kill this idea of waste?

It is quite simple. We do what nature is doing and simply connect the idea of waste to the idea of management. Which means, we design a lifestyle based on the idea of management. And live it. We recycle and reuse stuff, including our thoughts.

What?! Can we recycle thoughts?!

It is as simple as re-imagining the bundle of thoughts that have presented the idea of uselessness to us. If you have been reading my posts, you would know how to do that. If you have not been a regular reader, there is no time like now to get started on your physical and mental health by reading my posts.

Dear You, I am a writer and I specialize in Dark Spaces. As a child I explored the unknown through my reading. Now, as an adult, I traverse the spheres of fiction and non-fiction through my understanding of this unknown space that exists both within and around us. Join me in my travels as we grow together through discovery, acceptance and progression.

Subscribe to Knowing You

change is right around the corner. follow it on

Introspect Life

We are constantly searching for things that would lend better meaning to our lives. It could be wealth, health or attitude – all of which can be achieved if we are able to understand things from a different perspective. This blog is about learning to achieve that perspective shift through the journey of self-introspection. My articles and stories are aimed at helping both you and I enter and stay in that zone.

Stories for the Soul

Who am I? it asked The little girl spun around to face the voice, She caught sight of the darkness Who am I? the Darkness wondered, Happy that someone had heard it at last Why, you are the darkness, didn’t you know?!, Answered the little girl Disappointed, the darkness turned to go, Wait, I am […]

The little boy stood in the corner, watching the other children play. He had come down from his home on the second floor when he heard the children talking downstairs. He desperately wanted to play with the kids, and be a part of the gang. But that wish had never materialized so far. Soon enough, […]

A perspective change happens when we look at the same things from a different point of view. From our point of view, the sun rises and sets. But from the earth’s point of view, she is simply changing sides.